Beyoncé is gorgeous and glamorous on the cover of Vogue’s Power Issue. Queen B poses in designer gowns in the striking images by famed photographer Patrick Demarchelier. In the pages, she discusses her “sensual” and “empowering” new album, which she compares to a blend of 4 and 2008’s I Am…Sasha Fierce. She also chats about giving birth to her one-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, brushing off rumors, and her HBO documentary Life Is But a Dream.

On motherhood: “I felt very maternal around eight months. And I thought I couldn’t become any more until I saw the baby. … But it happened during my labor because I had a very strong connection with my child. I felt like when I was having contractions, I envisioned my child pushing through a very heavy door. And I imagined this tiny infant doing all the work, so I couldn’t think about my own pain. … We were talking. I know it sounds crazy, but I felt a communication.”

On giving birth: “My family and my closest people were there when I gave birth. Everything that scared me just was not present in that room. So for me to really let go and really appreciate every contraction…it was the best day of my life.”

On Blue Ivy: “She’s my road dog. She’s my homey, my best friend.”

On her documentary: “This movie has healed me in so many ways. It makes me want to cry.”

On rumors that she faked her pregnancy: “That was very odd. Who even thinks that? Like, who would make that up. … You can’t take it too seriously.”

On the recording sessions for her new album, which took place in New York’s Hamptons: “We had dinners with the producers every day, like a family. It was like a camp. Weekends off. You could go and jump in the pool and ride bikes…the ocean and grass and sunshine. … It was really a safe place.”